"The Orville" Mortality Paradox (TV Episode 2022) Poster

(TV Series)

(2022)

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8/10
Back on track?
speilbergjnr17 June 2022
A much better episode than the first two, in my opinion. There is mystery, intrigue and a little suspense. No particular focus on any one character but instead on away team as a whole. There's a good dose of humour and even an inkling that the events (or rather, technology) in this episode may tie into a wider, future plot.

The exposition dump at the end is a little lame, but to be fair, the whole episode keeps you guessing and it just keeps moving forward which I enjoyed, never really getting bogged down. So it earned the exposition dump at the end...!

I hope the rest of the season is more in line with the quality of this episode. It's nice when a show subtitled "New Horizons" actually shows some of those horizons which are new. Here, this season seems to have found its footing.

Looking forward to more!
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9/10
Superb return to form
rmmil16 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I'll start by saying this felt like a STNG episode from season 5-6. This is meant as high praise.

I have vocally called out The Orville in season 3 for its sometimes subpar writing. But this episode was extremely entertaining.

I won't do a play-by-play, but I talk about a lot of spoilers. Go watch the episode first.

Some thoughts:

-The "monster" in high school was very unexpected and cool...but the CGI was "eh". My only complaint. CGI looked iffy against outdoor backgrounds.

-The crashing plane was well done.

-"Just blow it up" to the hologram projector was the right move by the captain. Lots of good decisions this episode (don't leave the 2nd away team for example). Yay writing!

-The doctor was rightly relegated to a mid-tier level. No love life! (Say it with me) NO kids!

-Charly is annoying. Less her. Far less. Interesting note though, the hologram involved Charly and Issac's bickering so that was the Captain's perception of their relationship . So...yeah. She's also pretend annoying.

-The twist honestly caught me by surprise. I knew an "Act 4" was coming but this one got me.

-We learned something about Mocclan culture that didn't involve pee. Yay!

-Loved the callback to ep. 12 of season 1.

Here's a thing I caught on a 2nd watching: The Talia who speaks with Kelly at the beginning is an alien, the "Kaylon" signal conversation was a lie...the alien planted this in Kelly's head to create an antagonist for the hallucination. Pretty manipulative.

Overall, a really good episode of The Orville and sci-fi writing in general. Hope the rest of season 3 follows this path.
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9/10
Great Fun
Hitchcoc17 July 2022
I keep reading about how unhappy people were with the lack of jokes. Check out NETFLIX. They are running the entire series of Seinfeld. This speaks more of the viewer than the show. While it has been hit and miss, there have been some really good sci fi moments, especially in this most current offering. While I was disappointed with how it ended, the down the rabbit hole series of events and the manipulation of the minds was really cool. People give it a one because it doesn't have a bunch of double entendre and lame sex jokes. Give me this. There's enough of that already.
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10/10
Amazing episode
nookies-2384916 June 2022
Very well done. Not to mention the look of it at the end was amazing. I found myself wondering what was going on the entire episode. Then when I thought it was all figured out another big twist. Probably one of the most enjoyable episodes in the entire series.
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10/10
Brilliant
VivecWolf16 June 2022
This episode is absolutely brilliantly written and done. Top quality on par with the golden era of Star Trek. Won't spoil it for you and I wholeheartedly recommend it as it is a must see !
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10/10
Gooooood asf
mindlessmoviemaster16 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
That was great episode, hilarious and bringing in the celestial aliens, or Q like being but she had to come remember how to be alive by living near death experiences through the crew, so she could remember why being immortal was awesome. Is what I got from it. This was my favorite episode of the season so far.
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10/10
An interesting twist on a familiar trope
ay621 July 2022
Ok, this trope has been reused in various sci-fi shows, notably several times in a few different Star Trek shows. But it hasn't really been done quite like this, nor quite as well.

Even recognising the familiar trope didn't give the game away and kept the audience (me at least!) guessing, not really fully knowing what was afoot. It was only towards the end that the episode started tipping its hand a little bit.

Got to give it a ten for keeping me fully engaged, keeping me guessing, and keeping me entertained, all while wrapping me in the nostalgia and comfort of reminiscence of much loved episodes of other sci-fi shows that have come before.
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6/10
Writing and cast have problems
AlexanderJB6 July 2022
This was a well written episodes with a solid plot and acceptable dialogue. The problem is that a portion of the cast/characters are still not fitting in.

I am so tired of ensign Charlie yelling at Isaac for no reason. It comes off as childish and hateful and not worthy of a bridge officer. I'm tired of people agreeing with her when it is out of their character. I am also tired of the security chief being such a flat character. She can't deliver the tough lines and her character lacks depth as a result.
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8/10
Twilight zone with second contact
cm-yang16 June 2022
To begin with, I missed the old Ovrville, a light-hearted approaches to sci-fi tv show. That said, this episode is not that bad either, to me, it just kind of confusing, and yet, interesting.

Through all of the confusion, what is beneath is a retcon to a two years previous episode story, which I totally forgot, and never thought of this season, since it is subtitled "New Horizons" I thought it would all be independently brand new stories chapters, it's nice to see some old connection.
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7/10
Season 3 getting better, after a poor start
imdb-yorm16 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is basically an Orville version of an ST:TNG Q episode, where a god-like creature experiments on crew members to better understand them and their experiences. Nice touch to bring it back to the earlier episode about the phasing planet, and what happened to the inhabitants who experience 700yrs every few weeks of our time. Those folks are still developing and not subjected to the 'reset of the week' phenomenon, which was the lazy way TNG did things.

I thought the illusions were too long and drawn out and the revelation of the person with the god-like powers too long in the waiting. The quirky comedy elements that were so good in seasons 1 and 2 are also lacking here.
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10/10
The Q has landed
corballydamien16 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Wonderfully fresh episode. The twist caught me off. Hats off to you writers! Gene would be not only proud but shaking a hand. I want some more million ways style comedy but I'm getting on board with the tougher direction.
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6/10
Better when it was fun
Rob-O-Cop20 June 2022
The first three episodes of S3 have been a bit un-fun.

I said loudly that the Orville was better than any of the current versions of Star Trek, that they out Trekked Trek, and part of that was in the humor and fun of the series. They acknowledged there were laughable aspects of original trek and certainly present day trek, and the orville cracked some jokes and got on with some actually pretty good trek like scripts.

These first 3 episodes have been jokeless, and delivered like an infront of a live audience first take is all we get 80s tv show, slow stilted, flat, lit for tv. All the things it doesn't have to be any more.

It feels like a director/editing thing. Flat on stage performances edited clunky.

Hopefully they'll pull it round again. The cast don't appear to be having fun.
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1/10
Forced plot and many wasted opportunities.
justin-guillaume-130-23308218 June 2022
This was hard to get through. This was like a STAR Trek episode written by a 12 year old. There was so much opportunity to use the civilization in future episodes and it was wasted on this. The characters actions made no sense and the story dragged. I couldn't believe how accurate I was each time I said "watch it turns out to be BLANK" as a joke, and it turned out to be just that. It's as though they tried to come up with the worst possible story in order to show how bad The Orville could be if they wanted. This show was great, but I think this is going to be the end. Even if it isn't the end, it still is.
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9/10
Another great episode!
MadKDog18 June 2022
Another great episode, Season 3 has been amazing so far. The story telling and imagination has really surpassed my expectations. And just think we have episodes like this each and every week. Definitely worth the wait for these new chapters.
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10/10
What a fantastic episode!
vabeachmatthew16 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
With a throwback to a past episode - this show was another great episode. The sfx are absolutely fantastic and the different holographic simulations (or what seemed like them) with a wonderful tie back to the multiphasic world from S2, they fulfilled what they said that somrtime in the future they would be studying the crew of the Orville and their people. Loved it!
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8/10
Mystery Box storytelling done right!
yoshimo-1312916 June 2022
At first I thought this would become something like TNG S2E12 "The Royal". But it soon become apparent that it might turn out more like TNG S2E2 "Where Silence Has Lease", but with The Orville's Nagilum not willed to sacrifice its laboratory rats. And in the end we got a touch of VOY S2E18 "Death Wish". And it did not feel artificial or forced. Plus it was very well-paced for the full 60 minutes. That is how you do full hour episodes!

An amazing episode and a return to form for the show!
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9/10
Cease with the Star Tredk and Star Wars comparisons
guzzimatt-1807517 June 2022
Just because this is sci-fi it doesn't need to be compared to others in same genre. It is its own identity, like humans, each different and comparing it to "other titles" is unfair, unjust and uncool.

This episode made me laugh, it inspired me, wowed me and kept me interested. Yep it is a great story and writers, actors, directors and producers have done themselves proud. Love each character as you sympathise with them, dislike them occasionally and side with them too, kids, robots, Moklan's and all.

Thanks Seth for telling me you story, champion.
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6/10
Recycled mystery ideas with no surprising resolution, technically well made episode
Shadowboy_25cm29 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Again, a mystery episode, where members of the crew are 'caught' on a planet like in a black box for 'experiments' by a higher force just to be resolved by a deus-ex-machina gimmick at the final 5 minutes.

Well, the episode is technically well done, has some entertainment, but uses recycled ideas and introduces a new powerful extraterrestian race.

Solid and forgetable.
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9/10
Getting its rhythm back
scootmandu-662-30560017 June 2022
We had been waiting for the return of The Orville for so long, but while the first 2 episodes were okay, they were missing something. The technical effects were there, but the heart, brains and soul had been a bit lacking. It had certainly been okay, but it just wasn't the show we looked forward to watching in the past.

With this episode, The Orville takes a giant leap forward. It was interesting, intelligent, and generally fun to watch. Almost like taking a ride on a roller coaster. One fun scenario after another. I think the initial self-consciousness of the characters returning is now gone, and they are free to just have fun with the roles more. There is a more comfortable chemistry onscreen, overall.

Just one quibble, I am glad that I did not read the title of the episode before watching. Sometimes, the less you know, going in, the better.
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7/10
Mortality Paradox
bobcobb30126 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A good episode here, but it is the same problem we've seen all season: these episodes are too long. Chop 20 minutes off this and it would be perfect. I also would have preferred another explanation than the one we got for the ending.
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8/10
Q By Any Other Name
jb07-660-94439517 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The first two episodes of the third season were IMHO the worst two ever.

This episode has the Orville heading back on track.

It was like a STNG episode with amazing effects, and a new Q.

Hopefully the series will keep trending up.
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7/10
Better than the first two episodes at least
bobetjo19 June 2022
Another SciFi trope episode. Alien planet where away team face individual challenges seemingly designed for them and appear fatal. Decently written script with a chance for the characters to perform individually. Welcome back Bortus.

A little more humour than the last two episodes.
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5/10
Seth forgot about the funny
ephonkx20 June 2022
Everything is pretty and shiny now, but the show has lost what made it good. It was a great affectionate send-up of the genre. Now it's just another mediocre example of the genre. This whole season has been a disappointment.
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10/10
This is the best Orville episode ever
batmanforever-9324917 June 2022
This episode was amazing ,it had absolutely everything you want from sci-fi episode,good effects,a brilliant story,good acting, mystery everything was perfect. Since the beggining of the episode my jaws dropped on each 5 minutes when another twist of events appeared on the screen. If you like Star Trek,Star Wars,The x files or Twillight zone , this episode will blow your mind away. I highly reccommend this episode to anybody,it is better than the last Star Wars and Star Trek trilogies of movies combined !!!!

P. S. I want to ask Seth to consider of making The Orville an extended franchise with multiple tv series like Stargate Star Trek or Star Wars,because we need a good one.
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10/10
Enjoyable episode
harris-2768917 June 2022
In summary: This was a really enjoyable episode that was well written, directed and made good use of the extra runtime.

Without giving away the plot, this episode had elements of Star Trek The Original Series and keeps the audience guessing what's happening right till the very end.

This is classic science fiction at its best.
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